1. Technical Field
The present towel device relates generally to bathing and massaging devices, and more particularly to a ribbed towel device with handles for massaging and/or drying the back area or any other hard-to-reach part of the body during or after bathing or showering.
2. Background Information
Since the inception of bathing thousands of years ago, numerous bathing accessories have emerged to make bathing easier, more pleasurable, and efficient. Stores carry all types of wash cloths, towels, sponges, and scrubbers. For example, devices for washing the back and other areas of the body are especially plentiful and well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,742 issued to Corn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,456 issued to Suida, U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,164 issued to Weill, U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,064 issued to Schulte, U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,490 issued to Jonzon, U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,796 issued to Gillespie et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,349 issued to Scott disclose such devices. U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,841 issued to Home even describes a device for applying liquid preparations, such as lotions and creams, on hard-to-reach parts of the user's body, such as the back.
Although a multiplicity of gadgets for washing and otherwise treating hard-to-reach areas of the body exist, there appear to be no inventions that specifically dry and massage these hard-to-reach areas at the same time. Only U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,367 issued to Griffin et al. makes known a bath towel device for picking up, holding, and drying infants and other small children, but this towel does not provide massaging action. Many massaging apparatus are publicized and marketed, but none of these are also capable of drying action. A conventional bath towel only imparts a rubbing/drying action, not a massaging action, to body parts. Thus, there is a need for a new and improved towel device that both massages and dries the back and other difficult-to-reach parts of the body during and/or after bathing.